He said: "He drove your car in what I can only describe as an appalling manner.

"I do not and will never condone that level of pure neglect which is why the mechanic in question has been removed from working within the Halfords Autocentre Group."

Mr Ingram said: "From now on I will always wait by the car whilst it is being serviced."

A spokesperson for Halfords head office said: "We are looking into the full details of the incident and will deal with this issue internally as a matter of urgency to ensure this type of incident does not occur again in the future."